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Matt Dixon: Around Florida

TALLAHASSEE | It was one of the most contentious, hotly debated pieces of legislation of the 2012 session, and it’s making a repeat appearance this year.

The legislation, which was filed this week by state Sen. Kelli Stargell, R-Lakeland, allows parents whose children attend a school earning two consecutive “F” grades to petition a school district to make drastic changes, including turning the school into a charter school.

Supporters of the measure, which has been spearheaded by former Gov. Jeb Bush, say the idea spurs parental involvement. Opponents, though, see the measure as a nod to those who want to add more charter schools.

Similar legislation went down in the Senate on the final day of the 2012 legislative session on a tied 20-20 vote — a rare occurrence. The bill split Senate Republicans, with eight voting against the bill, including co-sponsor Alan Hays, R-Umatilla.

Underscoring the heated politics of the final days of session, Hays voted against the legislation he supported because Senate leaders would not bring a worker’s compensation bill he supported up for a vote. He told the News Service of Florida last week that he would likely “be a co-sponsor again” this year.

The bill sparked fighting among senators throughout the process and needed a special Saturday committee meeting just to get to a full Senate vote.

The legislation was fiercely opposed by teachers’ unions and many Democrats, who saw it as a swipe at traditional public schools. The Florida Democratic Party already has released a statement blasting this year’s efforts, which is rare because the bill has not yet received a committee stop.

“After failing to ram their harmful bill through the Legislature, backers of corporate charter schools are back and once again pushing trigger legislation aimed at weakening Florida’s public education system,” said Scott Arceneaux, the party’s executive director.

The idea is supported by Gov. Rick Scott, who has made school choice a plank of his education policy. Scott included the measure in his 2012 legislative wish-list rolled out as far back as December 2011.

Lawmakers taking aim at alimony

After hearing sharply divided opinions from people who have been through divorces, a House panel Wednesday began moving forward with a controversial bill that would place new limits on alimony.

The proposal (HB 231) would take steps such as reining in the amount of time that alimony payments could be required, trying to short-circuit alimony in marriages of 10 years or less and shielding retirees from alimony requirements.

Sponsor Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, said the state’s current alimony laws are “archaic,” and he wants to provide guidelines to better resolve such issues in divorce cases.

“I want to make this so people can get divorced and move on with their life,’’ said Workman, who is divorced but indicated he has not paid or received alimony.

But Rep. Cynthia Stafford, D-Miami, described the proposal as one-sided and “anti-woman.”

“I think this bill will do more harm than good, ‘’ she said.

The House Civil Justice Subcommittee voted 10-2 to approve the bill, with Stafford and Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez, D-Miami, the only dissenters. Workman also proposed a similar measure last year, though he said it “died a slow, painful death in the Senate.”

The bill would eliminate the concept of permanent alimony, though Workman said judges would have the discretion to extend what is called “durational” alimony for long periods of time if necessary.

The bill says such durational alimony would be limited to 50 percent of the length of the marriage, unless one of the divorcing spouses could show by “clear and convincing evidence that exceptional circumstances justify the need for a longer award of alimony.”

Meanwhile, Enterprise Florida went on the offensive, refuting findings of a recent study that questioned the agency’s methods, ethics and bang for the buck.

The increased scrutiny of what the state pays to lure companies to Florida comes as lawmakers start to lay the foundation for the coming year’s budget, against a backdrop of the governor’s request for more spending on economic development.

In the House, members of the Transportation and Economic Affairs Subcommittee Tuesday peppered Enterprise Florida executives with questions, asking the job-creating agency to justify the governor’s request to more than double the amount of money the state spends on bringing companies here.

Scott’s budget request calls for boosting economic incentives from $111 million to $278 million, much of which would be distributed by Enterprise Florida.

Already briefed on the Enterprise Florida initiatives, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development got a line-by line summary of the governor’s spending plan, with plans to begin to formulate its own ideas next week.

News Service of Florida

Arguments set in Cuba, Syria case

A federal appeals court has scheduled arguments for March 21 in Florida’s effort to move forward with a law that would block state and local governments from contracting with companies that have business links to Cuba and Syria.

A federal district judge last June issued an injunction against the 2012 law, saying it likely violated the U.S. Constitution. That prompted an appeal by the state.

The law, which was challenged by Odebrecht Construction Inc., would prevent companies from receiving government contracts of $1 million or more if they do business in Cuba or Syria or are affiliated with firms that do business there.